BOBBY GOULD
Psychologist and Volunteer
I met my husband, Larry, in Rotterdam when we were both on a student ship. I was a
college freshman and he was a third-year medical student. The relationship continued
while I was a student in Boston and he was at NYU Medical School. When he was
drafted into the army as a Captain, we wanted to marry so that I could follow him to his
post. I was then at Wellesley, an all-girls college with strict rules. I went to the Dean of
Students and requested permission to continue to live in my dorm with my roommate for
six weeks after my wedding and before graduation, then following my husband. She said
that would not be possible. When I protested, she explained I must never describe to any
of the students the ‘primitive experiences of married life.’ I promised and she relented,
provided I got a signed statement from my roommate’s mother that she would allow her
daughter to share a room with a married woman. Wellesley remains an all-girls school,
but the rules have drastically changed.
Photos courtesy of Bobby Gould
BY FRED CHERNOW
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
We lived in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn.
I attended PS 208 before the family moved
to Great Neck. I graduated Great Neck
H.S. and went to Wellesley College,
which was an all-women’s liberal
arts school. It was just west
of Boston and I had wonderful
teachers and experiences
there. Some of their alumna
included Hillary Clinton,
Diane Sawyer, and Nora
Ephron.
WHAT DID
YOUR HUSBAND DO?
Larry was the former Chief of
Cardiology and Chief of Medicine
at Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn. He was a
pioneer in using vasodilators for heart failure.
A member of Phi Beta Kappa, he later went
on the become clinical professor of medicine
at Cornell Medical College. His research and
work became the clinical standard of the
treatment of congestive heart failure. Sadly,
he passed away five years ago. We enjoyed 55
years of married life. He was the love of my life
and my best friend. We liked the same things
and always supported one another.
DO YOU HAVE A FAMILY?
Yes, my daughter Julie was born when
we were in Richmond, Virginia. She and
her husband have one daughter and live in
Westchester, where Julie is a practicing psychologist
and Dick is a cardiologist. My son, Bruce,
is a lawyer who owns a commercial real estate
firm. His wife Robin is a preschool teacher.
They have two daughters. We are a close-knit
family and often meet on weekends for dinner
and make little trips around New York City. In
winter, each family visits me in Florida.
DID YOU HAVE A CAREER?
I taught French at Great Neck H.S. while
pursuing a Masters degree in psychology
at Queens College. After that, I went on to
earn a Ph. D. from Fordham and performed
post-doctoral work at Adelphi in psychoanalytic
psychology. I became a school
psychologist for the North Shore
School District, which takes in
Glenwood Landing, Glen Head,
and Sea Cliff schools. I was
with them for twenty years
in addition to my private
practice in child and adult
psychology in Great Neck.
I loved my work and was
appointed by the N.Y. State
Commissioner of Education to
be on his advisory panel for Special
Education and spent time in Albany,
helping with legislation and ways
to implement the then new special education
laws. Later, I was president of the psychoanalytical
practitioners of Long Island and the
first female president of the L.I. Association
of pupil personnel administrators.
In 1994, my peers from the N.Y. State
Association of School Psychologists voted me
their “Psychologist of the Year” award.
WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF YOUR VOLUNTEER
WORK?
I believe in “giving back.” Nothing gave me
more satisfaction than volunteering after the
tragedy of 9/11. I reported each day to the
Ramada hotel, which was the headquarters for
psychologist-volunteers. I worked with survivors
and their families. Helping children who
lost a parent was the most rewarding. Every
year on 9/11, I am in contact with Vilma, a
grateful mother of 6, who reports to me on her
progress with post-traumatic stress syndrome
and how her children are doing. She embarrasses
me when she calls me her guardian angel.
My son, Bruce, volunteered at Ground Zero
with the Red Cross.
Larry and Bobby Gould
Since 1996, I have spent winters in Florida
at the Polo Club. While there I volunteer with
adults ranging in age from 21 to 81 who are
developmentally disabled and live in group
homes. I organize Birthday Bingo and other
events, which build their self-esteem. I am
starting a gardening program, where they will
grow their own vegetables.
WHEN DID YOU MOVE
TO NORTH SHORE TOWERS?
Larry and I moved here in 1998. We became
active in the Tennis Association and I later
became president. I served on the Country
Club Committee and enjoyed playing Bridge.
In recent years, I watched the start and growth
of the Men’s Club and Claire Levitan and I
started a Women’s Club. At present, we have
more than 300 members and provide a galaxy
of activities, including speakers, trips, luncheons
and small “lunch bunches.” One of
our goals is to explore finding activities which
will attract younger people to join us.
WHO ARE SOME OF THE INTERESTING
PEOPLE YOU HAVE MET?
When Hillary Clinton was starting her
campaign to run for the Senate, I attended
one of her rallies. I went up to one of the
Secret Service Agents and gave him a copy
of my Wellesley Alumni magazines to give
Mrs. Clinton. He returned with an invitation
from her to meet backstage after the crowd
disbursed. She then asked when I graduated,
which was some time before her graduation.
Soon we were talking about professors we
knew and some of the traditions at the school.
She was perfectly charming and made me feel
as if we knew each other for a long time.
Of course, NST, and the Women’s Club has
provided me with remarkable people to spend
time with as well. We are so lucky to live here.
Bobby Gould
4 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ September 2017